Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
CA State Assembly

Sign CalBike’s Petition to Eliminate Parking Requirements Near Transit

Update, June 2: A.B. 1401 passed the Assembly 51-17 and will now go through the Senate process.

Despite the many many words that have been written about the ways that minimum parking requirements increase the costs and difficulty of building affordable housing, create more parking than needed, and encourage more driving just when everyone should be figuring out how to drive less, there is still organized opposition to A.B. 1401. This bill would simply prohibit a city from requiring a set minimum number of parking spots in places well-served by transit.

The League of California Cities and other groups continue to oppose the bill because of fears that it would remove a tool cities rely on to get affordable housing units included in projects. That is, the Density Bonus law allows cities to require less parking in exchange for more affordable housing on a case-by-case basis.

So basically the League and its partners want to keep a harmful requirement so it can be used as a bargaining chip.

But evidence suggests that simply removing parking minimums leads to more affordable housing being built - certainly more than is built under Density Bonus law. For more on why, see previous Streetsblog coverage.

Where similar relaxations of parking requirements have already been done - in San Diego and downtown Los Angeles - removing parking minimums has led to a bit less parking being built overall, as well as significantly less expensive costs to build housing, including affordable housing. Developers can better adjust to individual circumstances like lot size, housing type, and local context if the decision is left up to them, whereas minimum parking requirements force them to strictly adhere to a set number of parking spots per size of unit, no matter what.

The California Bicycle Coalition recognizes the importance of encouraging alternative means of travel and dedicating less space to cars, and is asking for signatories on its petition in support of A.B. 1401, here.

Writes CalBike:

Today, most places in California require developers to set aside massive amounts of space for car parking, even in new housing supported by great transit service. Streets that should be inviting to people walking and biking are made unfriendly by parking garages and increased traffic. We are forced to sacrifice plentiful housing for people to build housing for cars.

A.B. 1401 is not a blanket prohibition against all parking minimums; it applies only to places with good transit.

It's time to set aside opposition based on old ways of doing things.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

First OC Streetcar Arrives

The $649 million 4.1-mile OC Streetcar light rail line is 92 percent complete, and now anticipated to open in spring 2026

May 8, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines

California and Trump continue to spar and more news from up and down the state.

May 8, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: ‘Normal’ is Not Correct, Someone Died Here

After a crash, the debris is quickly cleaned up and everyone moves on (usually too quickly). But these two experts are asking us to all slow down.

May 8, 2025

Metro Names Bill Scott as Chief of Police

Chief Scott and Metro leadership emphasized that keeping Metro transit safe would require a multi-faceted approach that included the deployment of officers as well as collaboration with the community, ambassadors, and service providers. "Sometimes enforcement is the answer," Scott said. "Sometimes it's not."

May 7, 2025

State Supreme Court Reinforces Rules that Cities Must Maintain Safe Roads

When Ty Whitehead was injured in a crash caused by a pothole in Oakland, it sparked an eight-year legal battle that is still being waged.

May 7, 2025
See all posts